Fire and Ice
by kitsuneshadow47
Summary: A rivalry between 2 families. But two children's paths cross. Naruto and Sasuke become best friends. But then the world changes before their eyes, separating them and forcing them against each other. What happens when their paths cross again? SasuNaru.


**Fire and Ice**

**EPILOGUE**

_**Part 1: First Sight**_

**Characters~ **Sasuke U. and Naruto U.

**Warnings~**

Throughout the whole story (not just this chapter, by the way), I strongly suggest you look out for YAOI, OOC, FLUFF, royalty(?), violence at some point in this story, cursing, citrus, and hmm…think that's about it. ^_^"; So this is your biggest **warning:** if you don't approve of any of what I just warned you about…I kindly advise you to _stop reading now_ while you still can. O.O But if it's the opposite, then no problem. ^~^

**Disclaimer~** I don't own Naruto whatsoever. ^^" This story was only created on a whim by some poor yaoi fangirl in the deepest, darkest corners of the world, left with nothing to eat but MOCH—ok, it's _me. _XD

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

_***Update: **__Recently I found my plot bunny for this in my backpack, and after watching more __**Merlin, **__I became interested in this fic again, even if I don't have any reviews for this… ^^" SO anyways, I sorta rewrote a lot of parts in this chapter, mostly with the plot theme, and made it a bit more Romeo & Juliet style. w (NO—it will not have a tragic ending where everyone dies. ^^"). _

Enjoy this story, and please let me know at the end of this chapter if you like it so far~! ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

~o~

Once upon a time, in the Fire Country, there resided a large land called Konoha, abundant in trees and fresh water rivers and where at that time the atmosphere was sleepy and tranquil for the world had reached a temporary era of peace.

That is—until a great war raged between a family known as Senju and another called by the name Uchiha, over leadership in Konoha.

And it lasted for a very long time…perhaps even for _years _at best.

But at some point later in time, the two families had finally gotten tired of fighting each other and facing the hardships and cruelties of war. Both had come to an agreement of peace, signing a treaty that would split the authority over the territory between the two of them—Senju and Uchiha working hand in hand to create their own advanced society.

At first, it may have seemed like a happy ending for everyone right there soon after the war had ended. However…this had not been so for Madara Uchiha, head of the powerful Uchiha clan, who had only agreed to the Senju's terms of peace due to the voices of his people.

In fact, Madara alone had resented the Senju—especially their own leader, Hashirama. Therefore, when the time came for him, the Uchiha himself planned _and _attempted an all-out coup d'état against the Senju family, resulting in many people being killed and an ultimate battle between the leaders of both families.

Hashirama vs. Madara—and the head of Senju had won the match by a close call, both severely injured after hours of nonstop combat against each other. After that, the leader of the Uchiha had been forced into hiding, ashamed to show his face to the rest of his people after his grueling defeat.

Although…Hashirama had always thought of Madara as his best friend, caring for hum almost as much as he cared for his own family—but Madara refused to accept him as anything more than his worst enemy. And so, the raven bore a mask on his face with orange swirls, concealing all in his complexion but his right eye of scarlet. Sooner or later, he had disappeared, never to be heard from again—though that would all change in the future.

As for the treaty between the two families, it remained intact in the years to come. But that was when Hashirama had finally passed on of old age, causing it to crumble little by little.

And to prevent any incidents like the one that had occurred before, some adjustments had to be made.

New leader for the Uchiha and the Senju needed to be picked, as well as a "peacemaker" that would act as the mediator between the families so that the authority and relationship would stay neutral.

This brings us all the way up to present-day Konoha, where this change has taken effect.

Nowadays, Hiruzen Sarutobi, a man of his word, mediates the land between Senju and Uchiha—but this time the territory had been divided in half as well, so now the two are called the West Side and the East Side. In time, the consolidated names of Senju and Uchiha had faded away after both had grown in friendship as well as new members of the family.

Today, Minato Namikaze is presently the head of the West Side of Konoha, while the leader of the West Side is now one by the name of Fugaku Uchiha.

Just as before, the two had been very good friends with each other and watched over the land in peace and harmony between the two sides.

But still…the question still arises every now and then: …for _how long?_

~o~

It is late in the afternoon, and among the farthest parts of Konoha, an average but calm, suburban neighborhood could be seen just half a mile from the ocean. But of course—_because _it was so late in the afternoon (past quitting time/rush hour, to be specific), the families in each home were at this moment all in their houses, spending quality time or probably evening supper with each other.

One such family involved the Namikaze household, where a young, blonde-haired boy by the name of Naruto Uzumaki lived with his loving parents, Minato and Kushina, as well as two other boys older than him, whose names were Kakashi Hatake and Iruka Umino.

In the town of Konoha, Naruto's father was a charming, successful man who led the West Side on its merry way as its head, while his wife Kushina stayed home to take care of their only son, who had been about two years old. At that time, the family of Namikaze had lived had a peaceful life without any worries whatsoever. However, their lives had somehow changed significantly soon after they had encountered two orphan boys by the names of Kakashi and Iruka, just sitting outside in their backyard with anxious looks on their faces—and both children having no parents to turn to nor relatives. No one else but each other to cling to, since the two had obviously been best friends since childhood, taking care of each other in the years after losing their own families.

Minato, who had always been immensely generous, had decided at that moment to take both boys into his humble home and raise them as if they were his own children, Kakashi being 15 that day and Iruka 12—three years younger than his best friend. And as the years passed, the two children had finally fit in as a part of the Namikaze family, for they always played a vital role in helping Kushina around the house and taking care of little Naruto, as if he were their own brother.

Eventually, Naruto did look up to Kakashi and Iruka as his older brothers over time from playing with them in the mornings and taking evening naps alongside them out in the backyard (as the two would often be exhausted from having to help tend to him and handle the unlimited amount of energy he had during the day).

But then the years passed and soon the three children had been allowed to go to school—Naruto beginning his first year in preschool, Iruka and Kakashi starting off in high school.

From that point on, the three had become somewhat distant from each other, although they still got to spend time together on the weekends and evenings after finishing any homework. However, things just weren't the same anymore for young Naruto himself…

The first weeks of preschool actually hadn't been that _dandy_ for the little blonde. Sure, his teachers were nice to him and he'd made a couple of friends here and there. But most of the time, Naruto would have difficulty during school, from paying attention and listening to instructions in class to boys bigger than him who would always come around to make fun of the whiskers on his cheeks and take his toys.

Later on, it would get worse when the amount of time-outs and scolds from the teachers began to grow for him, and he'd become known as the failure and laughingstock in his class, shunned from the rest of his classmates every day (not counting the few who were kind to him). And as time passed by, Naruto started to get lonely and sad, for at the time, _both_ his parents had gotten jobs and Kakashi and Iruka had become very busy with numerous projects and essays they now had to complete for school. It was as if…the world had started to become distant from him.

So in the afternoons when the young blonde was left to spend time with himself, he would take a walk out into the backyard and stare out at the evening sky. But on one peculiar day before walking back inside for supper, Naruto (age five) had found a small clearing amongst the forest of trees growing behind his home. The blonde had decided to go exploring in the forest to see what was hidden behind the trees, and stumbled upon what looked like a sandy shore in the distance with no one standing in sight. Obviously, this beach had not been found by the public yet.

Naruto let out a sigh and went to walk along the shoreline, staring out at the sunset and feeling the cool, cerulean waves along his feet. The atmosphere was tranquil and calm as it was. But at some point the blonde found himself thinking…why couldn't the world be more like this? He stopped to look out into the ocean and see the waves crash against each other, his gaze becoming intent. And it was as if he were literally throwing his problems into the water, letting the waves take care of it all.

How he wished it could always be like this. And at that moment, he thought for the first time that maybe it wasn't so bad being alone…although he still wished he had a friend to share it all with.

…but that wouldn't be for a while. Even the blonde knew that as he looked down at the rippling ocean.

The blue-eyed boy exhaled sharply and sat down on the shoreline, closing his eyes.

_A friend…_

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and found himself writing on the wet sand. And when he was finished, the blonde lifted his finger and looked to see the word he had written:

_**SAD.**_

In that instant, Naruto's heart softened and he turned to gaze back at the sunset, thinking of the word in his head. He frowned.

_Sad…_

That was when he heard cries from behind him, in the distance of the forest. Calls of his name. Obviously his "brothers" and his mother, calling him inside for dinner.

The blonde let out another sigh, then stood up to walk back home. But before he walked back into the clearing of the forest, he couldn't help but think of one:

The desperate hope that maybe someone…just _someone_—would find this beautiful beach and someday see what he had written in the sand, hoping that that person would somehow understand the loneliness he'd felt…

But again, that wouldn't happen…for a while. Or would it?

~o~

On the same day, another family is seen moving into the serene neighborhood along the coast of Konoha—a family known as Uchiha.

Fugaku Uchiha had taken a new part-time occupation in Konoha, although he was still the full-time leader of clan Uchiha. This was so as he had moved to the neighborhood specifically because it had offered a better salary than his former job. But of course, his family was wealthy, so this intended to happen frequently. Every time he'd found a better job, he'd move—regardless of how long or how very soon they'd just settled into their new home. However, moving wasn't much of an issue…to him at least.

The Uchiha family also consisted of Fugaku's wife Mikoto, who stayed at home to tend to household needs, and his two sons, Itachi and Sasuke.

Itachi was the eldest of the two, and obviously Fugaku's favorite, for he would frequently be given more attention in schoolwork and any other extra-curricular activity. In time, Fugaku had plans to make him as successful as he was now, for he would later on take over as head of the Uchiha family.

But on the other hand, Sasuke (the youngest at age nine) would have less attention and instead often be scolded by his father for even the tiniest mistake he'd make in his childhood life, whether it be accidentally spilling milk to playing the wrong key on the piano, and even though he had always been at the top of his class. So at the time, the young raven really had his mother and older brother to turn to…although it hadn't always been like that for both had been busy with their own lives as well, with Mikoto tending to household chores and bills and Itachi completing massive amounts of homework.

And what made things worse was how Sasuke couldn't make too many friends where he was living presently, for he and his family would frequently move to another area. Therefore, he wouldn't be able to see or talk to the friends he would make, for it was too difficult. Even the young raven himself knew that and hated the issue of moving.

However…he would never be able to discuss the problem with his father because he would never understand…

The next morning, before the sun was about to rise, Sasuke had decided to go outside for a walk and take some time to think to himself, sadly considering the fact that one day he would have to move away again. So he decided to perhaps look at the place he lived in at the moment while he could before the time to leave would come once more.

And he was astonished to find a small aperture between the trees growing by his home. The raven thought for a moment, then walked through the forest, eventually stepping onto golden brown sand.

Sasuke paused and looked up to see the shoreline in the distance, cerulean waves crashing against each other. Then, he took another step onto the sand, only to see that there wasn't another soul in sight. For the first time, he could see that he was actually alone…and he liked it.

The raven sighed softly and stared out into the distance where the sun slowly began to rise as he strolled along the shoreline. The atmosphere around him was drowsy and still, and the breeze against his face was calming along with the cool waves against his feet.

This had definitely been the best beach he'd ever walked on—or more so, the _only _beach, for his parents had always been too busy to take him outside, as the small Uchiha contemplated with a frown.

That was when the latter noticed something on the wet sand before him and stopped to look down upon it.

It was a word, handwritten deep in the wet sand by the shore, some of it already swept away but still readable if one squinted, which was what Sasuke happened to do at the moment.

_**SAD.**_

~o~

In that instant, the young raven paused for a minute and peered down at the inscription again. Then he immediately whipped his head up to look all around the beach, thinking that maybe the person who had written the word couldn't be too far away at that point.

However, there had not been another soul in sight, except for himself.

Sasuke thought and knelt down beside the written word in the sand, wincing. Then he shifted his eyes below the word and began dragging his finger along the blank area, writing another inscription of his own—a response to the first.

And after a few seconds, the Uchiha rose and turned to walk away, as the sun was about to rise and it would be time for school in just moments. But before he entered the forest again to leave for home, he paused briefly and thought to himself again.

What if, perhaps…he had not been the only one to ever set foot on this sandy shore?

The raven shrugged once and walked away.

Only time would tell.

~o~

As evening fell, Naruto decided to come back to the sandy shore he had found recently without any moment's hesitation whatsoever.

The young blonde sighed and sat down on the shoreline, staring out at the crimson sky as the sun slowly began to sink. But his eyes were sad and distant this time…and one really couldn't blame him, especially after what had happened earlier that day in school.

For some reason, today had been one of the worst days of all for Naruto. For one, his teachers had been a lot stricter to him in class than usual, and his classmates had literally been out of control.

However…neither was the very reason why the young blonde was feeling so down at the moment.

At the beginning of class, the teacher had introduced a new student in Naruto's class—a tall, pink-haired girl with pale green eyes and fair skin. And her name had been Sakura Haruno.

Almost immediately, the blonde had thought of this as a hopeful chance to possibly make a true friend, and he instantly approached Sakura to introduce himself and talk to her with a big, happy-go-lucky grin. After all, she was beautiful and seemed kind.

But unfortunately, Naruto's classmates had already gotten to her, turning the girl away from him in an instant. So the very moment he had approached little Sakura, she had only turned her back towards him, calling him a failure and a laughingstock, a poor excuse to society—one whom she would never in her life change her feelings about. And the girl's words had hurt the young blonde…deeply.

As Naruto sat down in the sand and stared off into the horizon, he couldn't help but think just _why _the world seemed so distant from him. It was as if…he didn't belong in this world, like he was some sort of ugly duckling or something that no one liked. But of course, that didn't count his loving family. It was just that…they were all too busy with their own lives these days to actually take the time to understand his feelings.

The young blonde exhaled sharply and rested his head on his curled-up knees. _If only _there _was_ really someone who _would _understand. And again, the blue-eyed boy thought to himself quietly.

_A friend…_

Naruto frowned and shifted his hand to pick up a small, smooth pebble next to him in the wet sand. Then he raised his arm, tossing the pebble and making it skid across the ocean surface, into the distance. The blonde watched morosely as this was all happening.

And he turned, about to pick up yet another pebble, when suddenly he noticed something etched deeply into the sand. In an instant, the blue-eyed boy froze.

There in the wet sand before, almost thoroughly washed away, was the word he had written just yesterday out of thought.

_**SAD.**_

However…it was different now—for this time, it no longer sat alone by itself.

Now, there was another word written, in smaller lettering, purposely etched even deeper into the sand so that perhaps it would not wash away as quickly. This time, the new inscription below his read:

_**Why?**_

_Why… _the young blonde thought to himself, glancing at both written words. Then he glanced up, searching for the one who may have written the reply and hoping to maybe perhaps be able to talk to him.

Unfortunately…he or maybe even she was nowhere to be found—only the empty surroundings the beach had to offer.

But as Naruto thought, it definitely was a response, so that meant that he really wasn't the only soul to set foot on this shore. However, the question arose in his mind: _who?_

For the most part, not Sakura Haruno—and absolutely not Kakashi or Iruka. Of course no one but himself ever knew about this shore.

That is, except for one person who he probably didn't even know. And so the blonde began to think to himself yet again.

_A friend…?_

But then…it sounded too good to be true. After all, he was the ugly duckling of this world. Who would want to be friends with a _failure?_

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. Then he shifted over and began to write below the recent inscription, soon leaving for home after that.

But little did he know of the slight disruption in the trees a few feet behind him—the one who had now seen…

~o~

"Sasuke!"

Pants and the sound of running footsteps could be heard coming from the forest just a few feet beyond the Uchiha household.

And soon, a young raven has appeared into view amongst the trees, sprinting forward without once ever looking back. Inside, he is all at once frustrated, confused and upset, for just recently, his own father had been hard and overwhelmingly strict on him yet again. And this time, poor Sasuke felt as if he'd wanted to run away from it all, instead of just _listening_.

So the Uchiha did, and ran headlong into the forest in the direction of the shore he'd found the day before, hoping to spend some time to himself and no one else. But the strongest thoughts in the child's mind at that moment were all under but one topic: how stubborn his father always was and how he would never be able to understand the difficulties of constantly moving around to different areas of the world—how hard it was to make new friends and work to fit in each new hometown, then just throw it all away to do it again in another place.

For one thing, it definitely wasn't easy for Sasuke to feel comfortable at home most of the time—and sometimes, he would feel as if…he never truly belonged in the world he lived in at the moment—that he was just _himself _and nothing more, no matter how hard he tried…

In that instant, the raven closed his eyes and shook his head, increasing his speed.

_No way…_

At that point, the beach was in view. All Sasuke had to do now was take one more step towards the sand.

But suddenly, something made the Uchiha stop right where he was when he saw a silhouette appear a few feet away from where he was standing at the moment, near the shoreline.

The raven froze and crouched down instead to hide behind the trees, peering into the distance. And what he saw in that instant made his eyes widen and his breath still.

Out in front of him, sitting down on the shoreline, he could see a young, bushy-haired blonde with whiskers on his tan cheeks with his knees curled up under his chin. He was staring out into the horizon, his big, cerulean eyes deep as the ocean in front of him and blank with thought.

However, Sasuke could see that the countenance on the boy's face was sad, dull and perplexed, all at the same time. And it made his eyes and his heart soften.

For some reason, the sight of the small blonde was breathtaking to the young Uchiha—his flowing, sunshine-golden hair in the calm breeze…his sparkling, ocean blue eyes… And at the same time…the raven had a feeling in his heart that somehow he would be able to relate to the latter's feelings at the moment—for in that instant, he found he could see that it almost looked like the same type of sadness _he _was dealing with himself.

That was when Sasuke realized that he had not been the first on this shore, and remembered just what he had seen written in the sand.

_Sad…_

At that moment, the raven noticed the blue-eyed boy stir to reach next to him, tossing what looked like a small pebble across the surface of the ocean. And he watched expressionlessly as he saw the latter stare out at the sunset.

The blonde paused and let out a small sigh, then turned to his side, about to pick up yet another pebble. But then he paused to look down at the wet sand before him as if he were reading a note etched into it.

And suddenly, the Uchiha stiffened when he noticed the latter begin to dig his finger into the sand and begin to write.

_It can't be…_

The blue-eyed boy exhaled sharply and lifted his finger to look at what he had just written. Then he stood up to leave for the forest without looking back even once. And the raven had also noticed that he had entered a different part of the forest—the farther area—which meant that the boy had probably lived on another street, obviously away from his home. But still…

Now, when he thought he'd seen the latter finally disappear into the trees, Sasuke immediately emerged out of the forest, rushing over to the shoreline where the blonde had just been.

And he'd noticed the familiar inscriptions from the day before, although this time, he saw…a reply to the one-word question he'd "asked." It read:

_**DON'T KNOW IF I BELONG HERE.**_

The raven's eyes widened. Then he read it a second time, thinking to himself.

_He doesn't think he belongs in this world, either… Hn._

So the boy really was in the same boat as himself. Maybe not so ironic after all. At least he wasn't really alone.

The Uchiha closed his eyes and let out a sigh, slowly shaking his head. Then he absent-mindedly knelt down on the wet sand again and began to write a reply to the inscription.

And after that, Sasuke stood up without a word and left to return home.

Yes—his father may be difficult. But the young raven still loved his mother and older brother, who cared for his well-being as well. They were probably even searching for him at that very moment.

So the Uchiha went and stepped back into the forest with a stoic expression on his face. But before doing so, he thought he'd heard a rustle from the trees growing on his far left and froze immediately to turn around.

However…there still wasn't a soul. But hopefully there would be at least one later on.

~o~

At that moment, Naruto should have been home already, having dinner with his loving family. But he wasn't. Really, he'd stopped the minute he'd heard soft but rushing footsteps in the sand behind him and instantly hid behind a nearby bush, his eyes wide.

Another one to set foot on this shore?

But then again, the blonde remembered the recent reply to what he'd written in the wet sand and relaxed a little.

Maybe it was the stranger he'd wondered about the other evening…

Naruto winced and slightly lifted his head to peer through the bushes. And in an instant, he felt himself hold his breath and his heart become still for a minute. He couldn't believe his eyes.

A tall, young raven with pale, alabaster skin and wide, obsidian eyes kneeling down on the shoreline…and calmly running his fingers against the wet sand. And he'd looked about four years older than him, but still…

_No way…_

In that instant, the blonde's eyes bulged and his mouth gaped as the raven-haired boy stood up to leave for the forest, disappearing from sight.

And almost immediately, a few minutes after the latter had left, Naruto sprinted out of the bushes, running back to the shoreline. He panted as reached the edge of the sea and breathlessly knelt down to look down at the wet sand.

Below what he'd just written moments ago, there now read nothing but two words:

_**Me too.**_

~o~

That night the young blonde lay in his bedroom, staring aimlessly at the ceiling with a puzzled expression on his face, and all that filled his mind at the moment had been nothing but a mental picture of the raven-haired boy he had seen a few hours ago at the beach.

That calm expression on the latter's face...those magnificent eyes of ebony, blank with the deepest thought…and long, slender fingers almost paler than the moon itself.

But then again, little Naruto also began to think…why this boy seemed to cloud up his thoughts recently—as if he were the very air that the latter breathed at that moment, and yet he'd never met him in his five-year old life. It wasn't like he was someone out of the ordinary or anything, because he'd known that there were plenty of other kids like him.

However…there actually were a couple of things about that raven. One was how he alone had found his way to that shore while no one else had except for the blonde himself….while the other had been the mood and atmosphere around him each time he came to that beach.

Somber…but thoughtful. Somewhat lonely with a bit of confusion…but contemplative as if the boy were trying to search deep inside his own heart. Almost like how it was…every time Naruto himself stepped foot on the shoreline.

That same feeling of being alone, left by one's self to think about and maybe even question their own existence in one world...perhaps the both of them really did have at least one thing in common.

That was when the thought began to fade into the young blonde's mind: what if this was the friend that he'd wanted all along? The one who would be able to understand him for once, instead of just running away? Is he…

Naruto let out a sigh and sat up on his bed, then closed his eyes.

Of course he couldn't get his hopes up _too_ high, after all. Although that boy had been the only other person to find that beach…there's also the slightest chance that he would treat him like everyone else outside has: a stupid failure and a laughingstock.

The blonde opened his eyes. But there was still a chance that it would be the exact opposite…if he'd at least try to meet him once out on the shore one day and maybe get to know the raven for the first time.

Naruto winced and turned to face the window, where he could see the aperture in the forest and the slightest view of the sandy shore.

Only time would tell.

~o~

The environment outside the Namikaze household was quiet and calm. And it was very early in the morning, so the sun hadn't risen yet and the stars could still be seen high in the sky.

At the same time, the young blonde had gone out for a short walk through the forest behind his home with intentions of maybe revisiting the sandy shore since the poor latter really couldn't sleep that night. He sighed and closed his eyes as he walked among the trees, feeling a cool breeze as he moved forward. But suddenly, as soon as Naruto stepped out onto the sand, he felt a chill in the air and stiffened instantly.

The blue-eyed boy shivered and closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

Although it would have been smart to at least bring a jacket outside, considering the fact that it _was _still early in the morning and about forty-nine degrees outside…

Naruto exhaled sharply, rubbing his shoulders, then looked out in the distance, to see a big, bright moon illuminating over the ocean, now black as night. And at that moment, the blonde couldn't help but smile slightly to himself and advanced over to the shoreline to sit down in the sand.

None but the relaxing sound of the waves on the shore could be heard, and the serene but silent atmosphere seemed to soothe the small blonde as he watched the ocean sparkle under the moonlight.

But then the blue-eyed boy turned, intending to pick up yet another good pebble to toss for the moment, and paused when he came across the inscriptions in the wet sand.

_**SAD.**_

_**Why?**_

_**DON'T KNOW IF I BELONG HERE.**_

_**Me too.**_

Naruto winced and slowly pulled his hand back. But after a few moments, he lifted his finger and dug it into the wet sand, beginning to write once more.

~o~

That same morning, Sasuke Uchiha had also gone out into the forest, restless as he was from thinking of the blonde-haired child he had seen. And he had also wanted to visit the sandy shore again to see if maybe there had been another response to his message in the sand. But right before he had left his home, he had been wise enough to remember to take his navy blue zip-on sweater with him, as he noticed a slight chill in the air outside.

The raven closed his eyes and sighed as he passed the trees in the forest. A cool breeze had blown by, making the latter's hair flow in the wind.

As soon as the young Uchiha had reached the shore, he opened his eyes, expecting to see nothing but the purple sand and the dark ocean, illuminated by the full moon in the distance.

And this was exactly what Sasuke had seen, although he was surprised to see something—or _someone—_more.

Out on the shoreline, under the low moonlight, he thought he could see a small silhouette lying down on the sand—a shadow taking the form of a little boy.

In that instant, the raven stiffened where he was, his eyes widening.

_A boy…_

At that moment, the Uchiha swallowed, and crept silently over to where the child was, getting a better view.

And as he stood in front of the latter…he was astonished to see that it _was _a boy, indeed, about the age of five—one with bushy blonde hair and whiskers on his tan cheeks. The same one that the young raven had seen tossing pebbles into the water and writing in the wet sand…although this time he had found the child sound asleep on the ground.

Sasuke relaxed a little and carefully knelt down beside the blonde, watching his serene face and listening to his soft breathing.

So he had been the one writing back to him all this time…the only other soul to set foot on this beach.

…and the one who felt the same about the world as he did.

In that instant, the raven frowned and turned to glance at the inscriptions in the sand. But what should have been brief became elongated in just seconds as the young Uchiha peered down at the most recent message.

_**Who are you?**_

And at that moment, Sasuke winced and shrank back slightly.

~o~

In that instant, the raven's countenance grew expressionless, and he slowly turned his head to look back at the sleeping blonde. And his eyes softened as he scrutinized on the latter's features—how tranquil he was now in his slumber.

At the same time, the young Uchiha couldn't help but smile slightly at the blue-eyed little boy and started thinking to himself again.

_Just who are you in the first place?_

Sasuke managed to let out a small chuckle. It was amazing how this kid had been the only other one to find this place—and on his own, too. But of course he remembered the lonely but contemplative expression on the latter's face when he'd first seen him, and at that moment, his face became solemn.

There must be a reason why he had crossed paths with this boy just now—and never would it turn out to be a mere coincidence.

_Why…_

Suddenly, the raven noticed the young blonde fuss in front of him and cringe, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

And in that instant, the Uchiha stiffened where he was, his face rigid. Then he looked back at the latter, who was still shaking slightly at that point.

That was when Sasuke saw that all that time the blonde had been wearing nothing but an orange t-shirt with a dark red swirl sewn onto the front, and a pair of blue shorts—not even a _blanket _in sight, at the very least.

At that moment, the raven frowned and rolled his eyes.

"Hn."

No wonder this kid was shivering—especially when it's literally _freezing cold _outside. Idiot didn't even bother to bring _something _outside to keep him warm…

He let out a sigh and looked back at the trembling boy. And to even think that he was actually able to fall asleep like this… The Uchiha closed his eyes and put his hand on his forehead, slowly shaking his head. But after a few minutes, he paused, then began unzipping his sweater and taking it off.

Sasuke held the navy blue sweater in his hands and reluctantly glanced over at the latter lying in the sand.

_A reason for all this happening…for me finding this kid out here…_

The raven closed his eyes again, furrowing his brow in thought. Then he turned to look at the young blonde again and carefully approached him, covering him the best he could with his sweater. And to his surprise, the boy instantly reached up to pull it over his shoulder, his face becoming serene again with slumber.

At that moment, Sasuke relaxed at the sound of the blonde's soft breathing and sat down a few feet away from the latter, so that he wouldn't wake him. Then he turned to gaze up the full moon in the sky, tiny stars scattered around it, and he thought.

_I still wonder why I'm actually not the only one on this shore…it's always been just me all this time._

A cool breeze blew past the young Uchiha's face. He paused, and glanced at the inscriptions in the wet sand beside him. Then he shifted his gaze over to the small boy with a blank expression on his face.

And after a few seconds, the raven softened his eyes upon watching the latter, so peaceful in sleep.

…_maybe I wasn't meant to be alone after all._

Sasuke took a deep breath and turned towards the messages in the sand, skimming over each word that had already been written, then thought once more, putting his hand to his chin and raising an eyebrow.

Soon, the Uchiha broke from his train of thought, and dug his finger into the wet sand again, writing this time in a painstaking manner.

And when he was finished, he slowly pulled his hand back to peer down at the purple sand, reading what he had just written in his mind.

_**FRIEND.**_

The raven couldn't help but crack a small smile in that instant because for the first time, the word actually sounded good to him. He sighed, then looked up to stare at the stars again.

~o~

Naruto hadn't paid attention to how much time he'd spent on the shore. So he never noticed when he'd fallen asleep near the shoreline. Although he'd remembered it being a little chilly outside for a moment…and then it wasn't all of a sudden. But that was all the young blonde had noticed in those past moments. He never realized or expected a _visitor_…

~o~

After an hour more of sleeping on the purple sand of night, the blue-eyed boy had finally stirred, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Then he looked out in front of him to see nothing but the deep dark ocean, its waves crashing against each other.

In that instant, Naruto realized what had happened and began to stand up to leave for home before his family would find out that he had been missing this whole time.

However…he froze almost immediately when he noticed something on top of him, and turned his head to see a navy blue sweater, all spread out over his back.

At that moment, the blonde raised an eyebrow in confusion. He never remembered bringing a sweater when he had gone outside, more or less owning one of _navy blue, _when most of his clothes were _orange._

But that was when he looked to his left, and found a raven-haired boy with pale skin and coal black eyes, staring out at the stars in the sky. And in that instant, Naruto froze as he hadn't been able to do anything but stare at the latter in disbelief with bulging eyes and a gaping mouth.

That same raven from before…

~o~

Suddenly, after a while, Sasuke heard a small yawn from his right, and glanced next to him to see that the young blonde had finally awakened.

The raven looked at the latter with a morose expression on his face and watched him outstretch his arms and open his drowsy eyes to peer out at the ocean.

_So—he's woken up already._

At that moment, the Uchiha couldn't help but smirk as the blonde had finally noticed the sweater on his back. He exhaled, then turned to look back up at the sky again—although now he could sense the younger boy's gaze focusing on him.

But Sasuke didn't stare back at the blonde, and merely closed his eyes, letting out a small sigh. Then he spoke in a low tone.

"Hn. Really stupid of you to come without a jacket, especially when it's freezing cold out here."

No response.

The raven paused, then turned to look at the latter again. And in an instant, he realized why without even rethinking it. From how things had looked at that very moment, it seemed as if this was the first time he had been spoken to directly by someone other than a member of his family.

It was like he was a shy, defenseless puppy, kicked out and sent alone in the corner to be ignored by everyone else with their back turned…

Oh—that was it. The Uchiha frowned upon realization.

At that moment, the kid's mouth continued to gape with awe, and his eyes were still wide and hesitant at the same time.

Suddenly, Sasuke stiffened for a minute.

Those big, pools of sapphire…sparkling under the moonlight like the ocean next to him. And that soft, sunshine-gold hair…flowing along with the cool wind.

Both were hard to resist for the raven—especially the puppy-dog face the blonde now held.

At that point, the Uchiha's eyes softened. The poor kid. He paused, then advanced towards the latter, extending his hand out to him over the purple sand. And while doing so, he smiled slightly but warmly and spoke in a calm tone.

"I'm Sasuke, by the way."

He chuckled once.

At first, the blonde had still been hesitant, and merely stared at the alabaster hand with an unsure expression on his face, as he was also wary of how differently he was being treated this time—if he could actually trust this boy for the first time as a... He couldn't even say the word to himself at that moment.

The blue-eyed boy gulped and looked down.

But as he briefly avoided the raven's gaze, he had noticed that the inscriptions in the sand had been right between them, which probably explained why Sasuke had refrained from advancing too close to his right.

And Naruto glanced over at the words etched into the wet sand, his eyes widening in an instant when he noticed yet another word written in big capital letters that made it stand out from the rest above it.

_**FRIEND.**_

Almost immediately, the blonde stiffened upon reading the word, still not believing what was happening to him at that moment.

_Friend…_

In that instant, the blue-eyed boy paused for a minute, debating within himself. Then he looked up to face the raven, whose small smile had still been intact—that even rare for an Uchiha.

At that moment, the blonde's heart instantly lightened up, and he smiled back, a big, happy-go-lucky grin appearing on his face. Then he finally took the pale hand in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Naruto."

~o~

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

As a foreshadowing for the next few chapters (or the second and third part of the epilogue—there's only 3 parts, don't worry. XD), both of their lives will change in the most dramatic of ways, which will once and for all begin our main story (like in Romeo & Juliet XD). ^_^

And just a lttle **FYI: **I got the idea of the shore scene from a song called **The Saltwater Room **by **Owl City. **^w^ See, I found this uber-fluffy and if you haven't noticed yet, it _is _one of my top favorite songs ever, ^_^ But I don't own it. ^^"

Phew. Well, then. I really and truly hoped you enjoyed this chapter for the beginning, and I beg of you to please **REVIEW **if you did, so that I can get a better idea of where this fic will go. After I left this alone for so many months, I still haven't gotten any feedback from people which was a bit upsetting for me… T_T *sniffles with puppy-dog eyes* PWEASE REVIEW! 0.0

Thank you very much—I haven't gotten the time to post the next chapter, but it's done. ^^" All I have to do is just make some minor adjustments like on this one. ^_^";

Ja ne~! ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.


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